NUANCE OMNIPAGE PRO 6 - REFERENCE FOR WINDOWS User manual

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OmniPage Pro
Version 6 for Windows
Reference Manual

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How to Use the Documentation
Use this online Reference manual to find specific information about any
OmniPage feature. It describes all the commands and settings, how to use
True Page, how to improve performance, and how to troubleshoot
common problems.
This information is also available in OmniPage’s online Help system.
Additionally, chapter 2 contains a variety of tutorial exercises to introduce
you to basic scanning and many features of OmniPage.
Use the toolbar buttons in Adobe® Acrobat® Reader to view the
Bookmarks or Thumbnails. Clicking on the Bookmarks or Thumbnails
navigates to the paragraphs or pages of the OmniPage Reference manual.
Assumptions and Symbols
We assume that you know how to work in the Microsoft Windows
environment. If you have questions about how to use dialog boxes, scroll
bars, edit boxes, and so on, please refer to the Windows User’s Guide.
This symbol means Note.It introduces a tip or an item of note.
This symbol means Warning.It introduces cautionary text.

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CAERE CORPORATION
100 Cooper Court
Los Gatos, California 95030-3321
European Offices:
CAERE GmbH
Innere Wiener Strasse 5
81667 Munich, Germany
OmniPage Pro Version 6 (PC Windows version)
Copyright© 1995, 1997 Caere Corporation
All rights reserved. CAERE®, OmniPage®, OmniPage Professional, Image Assistant®, AnyPage,
AnyFax, 3D OCR, and True Page are trademarks of Caere Corporation.
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed
as trademarks. Such designations appearing in this manual have been displayed in initial caps.

Installation 4
Chapter 1
Installation
Please read this section carefully! It includes:
• What’s in the Package
• System Requirements
• Saving a User Dictionary Before Installation
• Setting up a Windows Swap File
• Installing the Software
• Starting OmniPage Pro
What’s in the Package
Your OmniPage Pro 6.0 package includes:
• Omnipage Pro program
• OmniPage Pro online manual, which can be printed
• OmniPage Reference manual, if separately requested
System Requirements
To install and run OmniPage, you need the following setup:
• Computer with an 80386 or higher processor.
• Microsoft Windows version 3.1 or higher.
• Windows-compatible mouse.
• Total system memory of at least 8MB RAM.
12MB RAM are recommended for Windows for Workgroups users.
• 8MB or larger permanent Windows swap file.
• Super-VGA color monitor with 512K memory on the adapter card.

Saving a User Dictionary Before Installation
Installation 5
To view all 24 bits of color (millions of colors) in 24-bit color images,
you need a 24-bit video card.
• A compatible scanner if you plan to scan documents.
See the list of supported scanners in the Release Notes.
Install your scanner and test it according to the manufacturer’s
instructions before using it with OmniPage.
Saving a User Dictionary Before Installation
Read this section if you have a user dictionary from an older version of
OmniPage. OmniPage 6.0 overwrites the user dictionary (user.ud) if you
install the program in the omnipro directory.
If you are upgrading from OmniPage 5.x, move the 5.x user dictionary to
another directory before installation. This preserves your entries. Move
the 5.x user dictionary back to the omnipro directory after installation to
overwrite the newer user dictionary.
A user dictionary from OmniPage or OmniPage Professional 2.0 is
incompatible with later versions of the program. The following
instructions tell you how to save a user dictionary from version 2.0.
Save a Previous User Dictionary
1 Open your older version of OmniPage.
2 Choose Edit User Dictionary... in the Settings menu.
The Select File dialog box appears.
3Select
user.ud and click OK.
The Edit User Dictionary dialog box appears.
4 Click Export....
The Export to Text File dialog box appears.
5 Save the dictionary as a text file in a different directory.
Import a Saved Dictionary
1 Install and open OmniPage Pro (see next section).
2 Choose Edit User Dictionary... in the Settings menu.
The Select File dialog box appears.
3Select
user.ud and click OK.

Setting up a Windows Swap File
Installation 6
The Edit User Dictionary dialog box appears.
4 Click Import....
The Import Text File dialog box appears.
5 Select the user dictionary you saved as a text file and click OK.
The information in the old user dictionary is added to the new
user dictionary.
See “Edit User Dictionary” on page 149 for more information.
Setting up a Windows Swap File
Although 8MB is the minimum amount of memory required, OmniPage
can perform faster with more memory. 12–16MB RAM is recommended
for optimal performance. Set up a permanent Windows swap file with a
minimum of 8MB of free, contiguous disk space to improve disk speed.
A swap file acts as virtual memory. Free disk space set aside as a swap file
is used as if it were additional memory. This lets you run more programs
than you could with memory alone.
The disk space used for a swap file is different than the disk space needed
for temporary storage while you are working on a file. Be sure to allocate
enough free disk space for both a swap file and temporary storage.
Windows 3.1 automatically creates a swap file at setup. You can change its
size. You may need to defragment the disk first to make sure free disk space
is in one empty block instead of fragmented into smaller portions.
Use a program such as Norton Utilities to defragment a hard disk. You
could also exit Windows and type defrag at the DOS prompt if you have
version 6.0 or later of DOS. For more information about swap files, see the
Optimizing Windows chapter in your Windows User’s Guide.
To set up a Windows swap file (virtual memory):
1 Start Windows in Enhanced mode by typing win /3.
2 Double-click the Control Panel icon in the Main window of the
Program Manager.
3 Double-click the 386 Enhanced icon to open the 386 Enhanced
dialog.
4 Click the Virtual Memory button to open the Virtual Memory
dialog.

Installing the Software
Installation 7
This dialog displays the location, size, and type of swap file. The
swap file should be at least 8192KB.
5 Click the Change button to expand the dialog box.
6 Select a new drive in the Drive list if you want to locate the swap
file some place other than the default drive.
For example, you can store the swap file on a second hard disk
that is faster or larger than the default. If you cannot find a drive
with at least 8192KB of free space, try deleting some files and
optimizing the disk again.
Create your swap file in an uncompressed drive. If you use
DoubleSpace or another disk compression method, consult its
documentation regarding swap files.
7Select
Permanent in the Type list.
8Type8192 or greater in the New Size edit box and select Use
32-Bit Disk Access if it is available.
9 Click OK in the Virtual Memory dialog box and click Yes to verify
changes to virtual memory.
10 Restart Windows.
Installing the Software
Close all applications — including screen savers and mail applications —
to free up memory before installing OmniPage Pro.
1 Start Windows and open the Program Manager window.
2 Insert OmniPage Pro disk #1 in drive a: (or b:) of your
computer.
3 Choose Run in the Program Manager File menu.
The Run dialog appears.
4Typea:\setup (or b:\setup) in the Command Line text box and
click OK.
A dialog box prompts you to choose where to install OmniPage.
The default directory is c:\omnipro.

Installing the Software
Installation 8
5 Click Continue to start installation or type your desired location
and then click Continue.
A dialog box warns that all executable files will be deleted from
your current omnipro directory if you have one.
• Click Continue to continue.
• Click Back if you want to return to the previous dialog box.
A progress meter appears if you click Continue.
6 Insert the other installation disks as prompted.
A dialog box prompts you to install a scanner driver when
installation of OmniPage is complete.
7 Do one of the following:
• Proceed to “Scan Manager Installation” on page 8 if you are
using a scanner.
• Click Exit to finish your OmniPage installation if you are not
using a scanner.
An OmniPage Pro icon is added to the Caere Applications
program group. Restart Windows. You cannot use the Direct
Input feature until you restart Windows. See Chapter 5, Direct
Input, for information.
Scan Manager Installation
You must install the Scan Manager if you plan to use a scanner with
OmniPage. Be sure your scanner is connected, compatible with your
system, and runs with the software provided by the manufacturer before
you install the Scan Manager.
You are prompted to install the Scan Manager following OmniPage
installation. You will use the Scan Manager to install scanner drivers and
select a default scanner.
Follow instructions in “Installing the Software” on page 7 to install
OmniPage first if you have not done so.
1 Insert the disk labeled Scan Manager disk as prompted at the end
of OmniPage installation and click Continue.
A dialog box informs you that the program will create certain
directories. It lists the files that will be copied to these directories.
2 Click Continue.
The Scan Manager installs and a dialog box asks if you want to
install a scanner driver now.
3 Click Yes to continue or No to exit.

Installing the Software
Installation 9
You can install a scanner driver anytime after Scan Manager
installation if you click No. See the next section for instructions.
4 Click Yes to install a scanner driver now.
The Scan Manager Installation dialog box appears.
5 Locate and select your scanner in the List of Scanners list box.
6 Click Install.
The scanner appears in the Installed Scanners list box.
7 Click Set As Default Scanner.
The scanner appears in the Default Scanner list box.
You can install more than one scanner driver but only one can be
the default scanner. Repeat steps 5 and 6 to install more drivers.
The default scanner is used
when you scan in OmniPage.
Installed scanner drivers
appear here. You can install
more than one.

Installing the Software
Installation 10
8 Click Close when you are done.
9 Restart Windows.
You cannot use the Direct Input feature until you restart
Windows. See Chapter 5, Direct Input, for information.
An OmniPage Pro and a Scan Manager icon are added to the
Caere Applications program group.
Selecting Your Scanner After Scan Manager Installation
You can install a scanner driver anytime after Scan Manager installation.
1 Exit OmniPage if it is running.
2 Double-click the Scan Manager icon in the Caere Applications
program group.
The Scanner Setup dialog box appears.
3 Click Add>>.
4 Insert the Scan Manager disk when prompted.
The dialog box expands to show a list of available scanner
drivers.
5 Follow steps 5 through 8 in the previous section.
Changing the Default Scanner Selection
You can change your default scanner selection anytime.
1 Exit OmniPage if it is running.
2 Double-click the Scan Manager icon in the Caere Applications
program group.
The Scanner Setup dialog box appears.
3 Skip to step 8 if you just want to change your default scanner and
do not need to install a new scanner driver. Proceed to step 4 to
add a new scanner to the Installed Scanners list box.
4 Click Add>>.

Starting OmniPage Pro
Installation 11
5 Insert the Scan Manager disk when prompted.
The dialog box expands to show a list of available scanner
drivers.
6 Select a scanner in the List of Scanners list box.
7 Click Install.
The scanner appears in the Installed Scanners list box.
8 Select the scanner in the Installed Scanners list box that you want
to be the default scanner.
9 Click Set As Default Scanner.
The scanner appears in the Default Scanner list box.
10 Click Close.
Make sure the scanner you selected is already attached to your computer,
turned on, and working when you next launch OmniPage.
Starting OmniPage Pro
To start OmniPage:
1 Double-click the OmniPage Pro icon in the Caere Applications
program group.
The first time you launch OmniPage, the User Information dialog
box appears.
2 Type your name in the Licensee text box.
3 Type your company name in the Company text box if you are with
a company; otherwise, leave it blank.
4 Click OK.

Starting OmniPage Pro
Installation 12
The Product Registration dialog appears the first time you launch
OmniPage.
5 See the next section for instructions on how to register OmniPage.
A scanner message may appear when you close this dialog. See
“Scanner Message on Launch” on page 227.
Registering OmniPage
You can use OmniPage for 25 sessions without registering it. A Register
menu appears in OmniPage until you register your copy. See “The
Register Menu” on page 151 for information. After 25 sessions, the
Registration dialog appears when you launch OmniPage, but the program
exits if you click Cancel.
Registering your copy of OmniPage entitles you to technical support,
notification of special offers and upgrades, and the lowest price offered on
the next OmniPage upgrade.
1 Click the Call drop-down list to find the number you should call
from your country.
2 Call the number and ask for a registration number.
You will be asked to provide some information and you will be
assigned a registration number.
3 Enter the number in the Registration Number text box and click OK.
You are now a registered user of OmniPage.

Starting OmniPage Pro
Installation 13
The OmniPage Window
The OmniPage window and AutoOCR™ toolbar appear after the
Registration dialog box closes.
Refer to Chapter 2, Tutorials, for an overview of OmniPage tools and
recognition techniques. The tutorials begin with basic scanning and an
overview of the OmniPage window and move on to more advanced
exercises.
The AutoOCR Toolbar
Shortcut command
buttons
Process buttons
Status text

Tutorials 14
Chapter 2
Tutorials
This chapter contains eight tutorials. The tutorials take you through
practical exercises for everyday documents such as multi-column pages
and spreadsheets. They also cover more advanced concepts such as how
to use manual zoning and using deferred page recognition to maximize
efficiency.
The following tutorials are in this chapter:
• Tutorial 1 — Introduction to OmniPage
• Tutorial 2 — Basic Text Recognition
• Tutorial 3 — Working With Graphics
• Tutorial 4 — Evaluating a Page
• Tutorial 5 — Scanning a Single Column or Table
• Tutorial 6 — Train OCR
• Tutorial 7 — Deferring OCR
• Tutorial 8 — Using Direct Input
See the Table of Contents for a list of exercises within each tutorial.
Be sure your scanner is attached, turned on, and compatible with your
system. Test the scanner with the manufacturer’s software to ensure that
it works properly before using it with OmniPage.

Launch OmniPage
Tutorials 15
Tutorial 1 — Introduction to OmniPage
This tutorial gives you a brief introduction to OmniPage. It contains the
following sections:
• Launch OmniPage
• What is Optical Character Recognition (OCR)?
• The OCR Process
• Scan the Quick Scan Page Sample
• Settings Panel Overview
You will use the Quick Scan Page sample in this tutorial.
Launch OmniPage
Double-click the OmniPage icon in the Caere Applications program group
to launch OmniPage.
The OmniPage window opens.
The toolbar contains an AUTO button, three large process buttons, and the
smaller shortcut command buttons.
Status text appears at the bottom of the window. It tells you what you can
do next or what is taking place at the moment in the OCR process.
The OmniPage Toolbar
Shortcut command
buttons
Process buttons
Status text
AUTO button

What is Optical Character Recognition (OCR)?
Tutorials 16
What is Optical Character Recognition (OCR)?
Optical character recognition (OCR) is the process of converting an image
file to editable text or graphics. An image is an electronic picture of text
and/or graphics. You acquire an image in two ways:
• By scanning a hard-copy document
• By loading an image file such as a TIFF or PCX file (for example, a
received fax file can be saved to an image-file format and
recognized in OmniPage)
The image you scan or load is at first just a “picture” to your computer
even if it contains text. You can see the text but you cannot edit it. You need
to perform OCR to turn the image into individual characters.
During OCR, OmniPage looks for and defines characters on the image to
produce editable text. You can export the recognized text from OmniPage
to a variety of word-processing, page layout, and spreadsheet programs.
OCR is also referred to as text or page recognition, or just recognition.
The OCR Process
OCR is a three-step process: acquiring an image, zoning the image, and
recognizing the image. Use the process buttons in the toolbar (or
corresponding commands in the Process menu) to set up the OCR process.
The Process Buttons
Each of the following three buttons represents one step in the optical
character recognition (OCR) process.
Using the Process Buttons
The OCR process offers choices at each step:
1 Loading an image into OmniPage
•Select
Scan Image in the Image button’s drop-down list to scan in
a hard-copy document with a scanner.
•Select
Load Image to import a graphic-format file such as TIFF or
PCX.
Image button Zone button OCR button

Scan the Quick Scan Page Sample
Tutorials 17
2 Setting recognition zones
•Select
Auto Zones in the Zone button’s drop-down list to have
OmniPage define the page areas to be recognized.
•Select
Manual Zones to draw the zones yourself.
3 Performing OCR on the zoned page areas
•Select
Perform OCR in the OCR button’s drop-down list to
perform optical character recognition on a zoned page.
•Select
Defer OCR to perform OCR later.
•Select
Trai n O CR to teach OmniPage to recognize special
characters before OCR.
You can either click each process button individually to activate its process
or click the AUTO button to activate the buttons automatically depending
on what is selected in the drop-down lists.
In the following tutorial exercises, you will select a processing option for
each stage of OCR before you load an image or scan a document.
Scan the Quick Scan Page Sample
You will scan the Quick Scan Page Sample in this exercise for a quick
introduction to the OCR process.
Select the Settings
1 Click the drop-down list under each process button and select
these options:
•ScanImage
•AutoZones
•Perform OCR
Scan the Page
1 Place the Quick Scan Page Sample in your scanner making sure it
is aligned correctly.
2 Click the AUTO button or choose Auto in the Process menu.
• OmniPage scans the page and opens it in the zone window.
• Automatically drawn zones appear on the image to show how
text will be ordered.

Scan the Quick Scan Page Sample
Tutorials 18
• OmniPage makes three recognition passes over the page: cyan,
light blue, and dark blue.
Each of these three stages is discussed in more detail in later
tutorials.
OmniPage opens the recognized page in a maximized text
window.
3 Choose Tile Vertical in the Windows menu so that you can see
both the zone and text windows.
The zone window shows the scanned image of the page. Note
that although you can see the text, you cannot select words or
letters, or edit the text in any way.
The text window shows the recognized, editable text.
4 Double-click the word Computer in the text window.
The Verification window opens to show the image of the word as
it was scanned originally.

Settings Panel Overview
Tutorials 19
You can retype the highlighted word if necessary while the
Verification window is still open. This is a quick way to edit text
without using the spell checker.
5 Click anywhere in the text window to close the Verification
window.
6 Choose Close Document... in the File menu to close the Quick Scan
Page sample.
7 Click No in the dialog box that asks if you want to save changes.
You will edit documents and save them in later tutorials.
Settings Panel Overview
Use the Settings Panel to customize the OCR process for particular pages.
The page you just scanned had a simple page layout with crisp black text
on a clean white background. Most settings work well with this type of
page. You will customize the Settings Panel options in later tutorials.
1 Click the Settings Panel button in the toolbar or choose Settings
Panel... in the Settings menu.
The Settings Panel appears.
There are seven panels in the Settings Panel dialog box: Scanner,
Zones, OCR, Fonts, Spelling, Direct Input, and Preferences.
2 Click each icon in turn to view its options.
Use the scroll box to access and select icons below the OCR icon.
3 After you click the Preferences icon, click Close.
4 Position the mouse pointer over the Image button in the toolbar
and click the right mouse button.
5 The Settings Panel opens to the Scanner options.

Settings Panel Overview
Tutorials 20
You can also click with the right mouse button on the Zone and OCR
process buttons when they are active to open the Settings Panel to the
corresponding settings. These two buttons are active after a document
has been loaded or scanned.
You would set Scanner options before scanning a page. Your
Scanner settings panel options may look different than those
pictured above, depending on your scanner.
6 Click Help.
The online Help program opens to Scanner Options.
This section of the Help program gives information on all the
Scanner settings panel options. You can click the Help button in
each settings panel to open its corresponding Help section.
7 Choose Exit in the File menu to close the online Help.
8 Click Close to close the Settings Panel.
See Chapter 4, The Settings Panel, for detailed information on all settings.
The next tutorial introduces you to more scanning concepts.